The other day I ran across this quote from C. S. Lewis.
Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.
C. S. Lewis
There are certain strains in our society that tell us that education is the solution to all the ills of our society. As someone who actually believes in sin I disagree with this position. The problem isn't uneducated people, the problem is people. As a society we've been reminded of this with the recent economic abuse enacted on regular people by Bernie Madoff and his ilk, but we also see it in the political sex scandals of Wiener and Strauss-Kahn. These were all well educated people who commit wrongs against others, abusing their position and justifying there wrong doing. All of this lines up with this quote and what ultimately underlines humanity. Sinful and corrupted human beings to serve self first. Sadly when the educated sin, it often has the potential to hurt many more people.
This TIME article reinforces this idea that its not only the uneducated (or entitled "celebrities") who sin. The author points out that the rich steal more often than the poor. From an economic and needs standpoint that doesn't make sense at all. Yet this is the reality, educated people easily rationalizing why they don't need to follow the rules. Why they can do as they see fit.
I think its the unwillingness to submit that is at the heart of all sin. We rebel against God and his ways, we put ourselves on the throne and proceed to serve self above all. For some of us those sins might express themselves in shoplifting, or sex scandals or financial indiscretions, but for all of us we stand against God rather than at his feet. Education (while extremely important and highly recommended and something my kids had better commit to or else) doesn't help us submit our will to God. Instead it gives us more tools with which to rationalize and justify our self serving nature. Scripture says since knowledge puffs up and as we are grow ever prouder it becomes harder and harder to submit. So lets pray that God would give us humble hearts, that we would see our sin for what it is, and that we wouldn't pin all of our hopes on the answers and pathways the world provides. Instead lets pin our hopes on Christ and walk humbly and act justly.
I'm hoping to post a follow up relating to awareness as the hipster answer to social problems related to this idea that education is the answer to everything...
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Pure Church
So I've been preaching through the 7 churches in Revelation. The American church is very much like Laodicea.
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
When you see what is going on in China you see the persecution and the strength that comes from true belief and not a watered down faith.
Perhaps they are like Smyrna or Philadelphia,
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Perhaps we could learn
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
When you see what is going on in China you see the persecution and the strength that comes from true belief and not a watered down faith.
Perhaps they are like Smyrna or Philadelphia,
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Perhaps we could learn
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Illustrious
My posting has been anything but. However I'm gonna start posting illustrations here for my own future reference and if anyone else wants to post them. As I read I'll rewrite them, not verbatim and only reference the book not pages.
The cockapoo and the pitbull
Once there was this cockapoo (cocker spaniel/poodle mix) that was a long time resident of a couple who then decided to get a pit bull as a puppy. The cockapoo did not like this uninvited guest in the least and bullied the puppy into submission, even as the pitbull outgrew the cockapoo it didn't dare challenge its former tormentor. One day the cockapoo got some gum or something in its hair and needed too get it cut off. Well upon his return he started walking around as if he owned the place, but the pitbull saw this skinny shaved dog prancing about in his house and jumped his housemate with the full force of a pitbull. At that moment the relationship changed forever...
In the same way, Satan is a parading pretender and we don't live in the victory that Christ has won for us. Instead we are bullied, and beaten down under the weight of our sins when we should really be reminded of the power of God's grace and not our own weakness.
The second is about submission. Say a car and 18 wheeler are driving down the highway, but soon a lane is merging in and the 18 wheeler is in the lane that is being merged. The big massive truck is the one that needs to yield due to nothing more than its position. It is required to follow the rules in order to avoid a big mess. In the same way we are all called to submit in lots of situations, the most talked about one is wives to husbands. Less talked about are the biblical commands to submit to God, (James 4:7) Pastors and Elders (Hebrews 13:17) Gov't (1 Peter 2:13-15) and Employers (1 peter 2:18) as well as children to parents.
Both are taken from PB Wilson's liberated through submission
The cockapoo and the pitbull
Once there was this cockapoo (cocker spaniel/poodle mix) that was a long time resident of a couple who then decided to get a pit bull as a puppy. The cockapoo did not like this uninvited guest in the least and bullied the puppy into submission, even as the pitbull outgrew the cockapoo it didn't dare challenge its former tormentor. One day the cockapoo got some gum or something in its hair and needed too get it cut off. Well upon his return he started walking around as if he owned the place, but the pitbull saw this skinny shaved dog prancing about in his house and jumped his housemate with the full force of a pitbull. At that moment the relationship changed forever...
In the same way, Satan is a parading pretender and we don't live in the victory that Christ has won for us. Instead we are bullied, and beaten down under the weight of our sins when we should really be reminded of the power of God's grace and not our own weakness.
The second is about submission. Say a car and 18 wheeler are driving down the highway, but soon a lane is merging in and the 18 wheeler is in the lane that is being merged. The big massive truck is the one that needs to yield due to nothing more than its position. It is required to follow the rules in order to avoid a big mess. In the same way we are all called to submit in lots of situations, the most talked about one is wives to husbands. Less talked about are the biblical commands to submit to God, (James 4:7) Pastors and Elders (Hebrews 13:17) Gov't (1 Peter 2:13-15) and Employers (1 peter 2:18) as well as children to parents.
Both are taken from PB Wilson's liberated through submission
Monday, March 21, 2011
Amos Lee
Cup of Sorrow by Amos Lee is especially meaningful right now in light of the tragedy of Japan and the little we can do from thousands of miles away. (As well as send cash)
The Line that hit home
I send a prayer out across the ocean,
To a man that's forced out of his home.
I send a prayer out across the ocean,
So that he may not suffer there alone.
And the song in its entirety:
Cup Of Sorrow"
I want to drink from your cup of sorrow,
I want to bathe in your holy blood.
I want to sleep with the promise of tomorrow,
I know tomorrow may never come.
I send a prayer out across the ocean,
To a man that's forced out of his home.
I send a prayer out across the ocean,
So that he may not suffer there alone.
I want to drink from your cup of sorrow,
I want to bathe in your holy blood.
I want to sleep with the promise of tomorrow,
I know tomorrow may never come.
I want to sit at your table of wisdom,
So that not one crumb shall go to waste,
For if we keep down this pathway to destruction,
Oh will our children will suffer for our haste.
I want to drink from your cup of sorrow,
I want to bathe in your holy blood.
I want to sleep with the promise of tomorrow,
I know tomorrow may never come [x3]
I am amazed by how many Christian artists there are in mainstream recording. Christ and Culture is a classic book by Reinhold Neibuhr. It talks about the different ways Christians approach the world around them. His point is we need to have lives that overlap with people who aren't Christians. We shouldn't conform to the culture,we shouldn't hide from it and we shouldn't develop an us v. them attitude. Instead we should be like Jesus himself who loved people from all backgrounds, but encouraged them to be renewed and transformed, to leave their lives of sin and come unto Him. I think that the reality of Christians making music that isn't only intended for a Christian audience is a reminder that all of us need to step into the lives of the many people around us, and to live as Christ.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Law as Gift
This week I was reading Luke 6:1-11. A few thoughts that really impressed me were related to the point of the Law. Ultimately, the Sabbath and the entire law are not meant to be oppressive burdens. That's the problem that results from legalism. God's reason for giving the law is as gift. (As well as to show us our sinfulness when we reject it.) But I'm going to focus on the gift part.
In v. 5 Jesus says, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. Now this can be read as Jesus saying, "Look here pharisees, I'm God I don't need to follow the law. I am the law!" Kind of like a corrupt policeman. But in the context He's talking about David and that David (and Jesus and the disciples) were doing what "some pharisees" (v. 2) considered work (and other pharisees didn't). But David and his companions, to stay alive ate the consecrated bread. Jesus point is that people (sons of men) are Lord over the sabbath and that the sabbath is not Lord over them.
The Sabbath is a gift designed to give life. God mandates rest becuase we need a break, that we need rest, we need to refocus, we need to trust in God and not in our own efforts to truly enjoy this life. But if Sabbath becomes a burden if it ends up destroying life v. 9. thats a problem. That's a corruption of the law. That's a teaching that needs to be fixed.
We need to see all of the law as gift and not just a burdensome list of rules meant to weigh us down. When we believe that God is good and trust his gift of law we see that. Not stealing, coveting, hurting, lying, sleeping around, cheating on our spouses, lusting, boasting etc. is a gift. When we don't do those things our lives and more joyful because they are less painful, and less oppressive for ourselves and for those around us. Instead we are supposed to be serving, loving, being patient and humble. If we praise God and give thanks, and follow the "do" commands we see our lives being filled with joy and meaning.
God's commands are gift, and meant to give life. When we see this it makes all the difference in how we see God. (Authoritarian taskmaster v. concerned and loving Father)
Basically it comes back to that first temptation of Satan...when he asks Eve to question if God is really good. Can you really trust him? Don't you think he's holding out on you? I used to think of God as Iron fisted, and capricious like Zeus waiting to throw Lightning at me if I screwed up.
Now that I've screwed up a lot, and rarely been hit by lightning I know he works a different way, a restoring and redeeming way. I hope you see that too.
In v. 5 Jesus says, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. Now this can be read as Jesus saying, "Look here pharisees, I'm God I don't need to follow the law. I am the law!" Kind of like a corrupt policeman. But in the context He's talking about David and that David (and Jesus and the disciples) were doing what "some pharisees" (v. 2) considered work (and other pharisees didn't). But David and his companions, to stay alive ate the consecrated bread. Jesus point is that people (sons of men) are Lord over the sabbath and that the sabbath is not Lord over them.
The Sabbath is a gift designed to give life. God mandates rest becuase we need a break, that we need rest, we need to refocus, we need to trust in God and not in our own efforts to truly enjoy this life. But if Sabbath becomes a burden if it ends up destroying life v. 9. thats a problem. That's a corruption of the law. That's a teaching that needs to be fixed.
We need to see all of the law as gift and not just a burdensome list of rules meant to weigh us down. When we believe that God is good and trust his gift of law we see that. Not stealing, coveting, hurting, lying, sleeping around, cheating on our spouses, lusting, boasting etc. is a gift. When we don't do those things our lives and more joyful because they are less painful, and less oppressive for ourselves and for those around us. Instead we are supposed to be serving, loving, being patient and humble. If we praise God and give thanks, and follow the "do" commands we see our lives being filled with joy and meaning.
God's commands are gift, and meant to give life. When we see this it makes all the difference in how we see God. (Authoritarian taskmaster v. concerned and loving Father)
Basically it comes back to that first temptation of Satan...when he asks Eve to question if God is really good. Can you really trust him? Don't you think he's holding out on you? I used to think of God as Iron fisted, and capricious like Zeus waiting to throw Lightning at me if I screwed up.
Now that I've screwed up a lot, and rarely been hit by lightning I know he works a different way, a restoring and redeeming way. I hope you see that too.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Borders and Crossing the Line
With the closing of 30% of Borders stores and its chapter 11 bankruptcy this may be the end of the book as we know it. Mike Shatzkin in the Wall Street Journal predicts a 90% reduction in bricks an mortar bookstores as Amazon and e-readers take over the market. Are traditional books to follow and with it, perhaps analytic and grounded thinking.
I offer myself and my own thinking as examples. I read a lot of stuff online. As I look for sermon illustrations and even insights on passages I often scour the internet for illumination, but often I don't trust what I get online because everyone's opinion is on here and who is to say it is worthwhile. So I often turn to books, articles and to commentaries from trusted authors and publishers. As books and publishers and even bookstores fade, where will all of these things be grounded? What and who will we recognize as authorities or at least as informed people whose opinion should be considered and trusted? The internet is full of opinions, many of them are completely uninformed, developing unfounded conspiracy theories, making seriously defective conclusions. Thus the reason for websites like snopes.com. The concern for critical thinking as it relates to students and adults has quickly become a concern in Academia. in 2000-2002, 16 articles and books at least were written to address the reality that we need to do a better job helping young people internalize truth and reject unfounded claims. Suffice to say, the prospect of undermined quality printed material makes this more difficult.
Ultimately, this brings me back to Scripture and that we as believers say that God's Word is authoritative. Without authority, we are all free to make our own reality. We make our own rules, we make ourselves our own gods. That may sound good at the outset. I think that making our own reality and self actualization are things that our culture promotes. But when it comes down to it ultimately self centeredness is a dead end. Without things we all hold in common we will become increasingly divided. Without a common law a common authority we'd find ourselves in anarchy pretty quickly. In the same way without a common authority (or at the very least opinions based in fact) we'll quickly descend into intellectual anarchy where every opinion is equally valid. Even the stupid ones. Even the dangerous ones.
I offer myself and my own thinking as examples. I read a lot of stuff online. As I look for sermon illustrations and even insights on passages I often scour the internet for illumination, but often I don't trust what I get online because everyone's opinion is on here and who is to say it is worthwhile. So I often turn to books, articles and to commentaries from trusted authors and publishers. As books and publishers and even bookstores fade, where will all of these things be grounded? What and who will we recognize as authorities or at least as informed people whose opinion should be considered and trusted? The internet is full of opinions, many of them are completely uninformed, developing unfounded conspiracy theories, making seriously defective conclusions. Thus the reason for websites like snopes.com. The concern for critical thinking as it relates to students and adults has quickly become a concern in Academia. in 2000-2002, 16 articles and books at least were written to address the reality that we need to do a better job helping young people internalize truth and reject unfounded claims. Suffice to say, the prospect of undermined quality printed material makes this more difficult.
Ultimately, this brings me back to Scripture and that we as believers say that God's Word is authoritative. Without authority, we are all free to make our own reality. We make our own rules, we make ourselves our own gods. That may sound good at the outset. I think that making our own reality and self actualization are things that our culture promotes. But when it comes down to it ultimately self centeredness is a dead end. Without things we all hold in common we will become increasingly divided. Without a common law a common authority we'd find ourselves in anarchy pretty quickly. In the same way without a common authority (or at the very least opinions based in fact) we'll quickly descend into intellectual anarchy where every opinion is equally valid. Even the stupid ones. Even the dangerous ones.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Culture wars...to what end?
With the recent statements of David Cameron, Nikolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, Leaders of Europe's 3 largest nations saying that multiculturalism is a failed experiment, and with the recent abandoning of democratic process in Indiana and Wisconsin (links everywhere) I'm wondering if there really is a way forward for America.
Chuck Colson, former advisor to Nixon, who came to faith in prison and started Prison Fellowship, a Christian ministry to reach and help rehabilitate prisoners said in a recent article that he believes multiculturalism is impossible to sustain without some unifying aim. One of America's Motto's is E pluribus unum- of many, one. My fear is that there are 2 clear directions we are headed as Americans. With two strong philosophical polls pulling us further and further apart we will be incapable of moving forward. Incapable of meaningful or lasting change. I fear that while we aren't decrying Islam as the incompatible culture like Europe is, it is we who have a much bigger problem on our hands, rather than minority subcultures, we have 2 equally large divided cultures in America, the rhetoric and actions seem like they will only escalate.
As always Ideas have Consequences. Let's pray we can start to see the ways we can work together.
I should also add that God's Kingdom will be multicultural. The people from every tribe tongue and nation will be in God's presence. And that while we will be many it will be possible because we do have that one thing unifying us, that one aim which is to give glory to our God and Savior. Amen.
Add this to my points. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2052843,00.html?xid=rss-mostpopular
Chuck Colson, former advisor to Nixon, who came to faith in prison and started Prison Fellowship, a Christian ministry to reach and help rehabilitate prisoners said in a recent article that he believes multiculturalism is impossible to sustain without some unifying aim. One of America's Motto's is E pluribus unum- of many, one. My fear is that there are 2 clear directions we are headed as Americans. With two strong philosophical polls pulling us further and further apart we will be incapable of moving forward. Incapable of meaningful or lasting change. I fear that while we aren't decrying Islam as the incompatible culture like Europe is, it is we who have a much bigger problem on our hands, rather than minority subcultures, we have 2 equally large divided cultures in America, the rhetoric and actions seem like they will only escalate.
As always Ideas have Consequences. Let's pray we can start to see the ways we can work together.
I should also add that God's Kingdom will be multicultural. The people from every tribe tongue and nation will be in God's presence. And that while we will be many it will be possible because we do have that one thing unifying us, that one aim which is to give glory to our God and Savior. Amen.
Add this to my points. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2052843,00.html?xid=rss-mostpopular
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
